Trinidad and Tobago’s health minister has dismissed Nicki Minaj’s claims her cousin’s friend was left impotent after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.
Terrence Deyalsingh said the Caribbean country had found no evidence of a patient with such side effects and officials had “wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim”.
US rapper Minaj, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, sparked a global backlash after tweeting she knew of someone whose testicles became swollen after getting the vaccine.
She said he became impotent.
Mr Deyalsingh joined the long list of politicians and health experts dismissing the claims.
He told a press conference on Wednesday: “As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad… and none that we know of anywhere in the world.”
He said officials “take all these claims seriously” but “unfortunately, we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim”.
Minaj, 38, had tweeted: “My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied.”
Her comments came while discussing a requirement at the Met Gala for all attendees to be fully vaccinated.
My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, was among those criticising Minaj for the comments.
He said such claims were “clearly ridiculous” and were “designed just to scare”.
Prof Whitty added people who were deliberately “peddling untruths” about the vaccines should be “ashamed”.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the top Covid advisor in the US, told CNN Minaj “should be thinking twice about propagating information that really has no basis”.
Minaj is one of the world’s most successful rappers and is known for songs including Super Bass, Starships and Anaconda.